


And Many More

by AgentStannerShipper



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Birthday, Cake, Fluff, M/M, a little cheesy but honestly who cares, as sugary sweet as birthday cake, honestly that's all this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 16:52:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16580366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentStannerShipper/pseuds/AgentStannerShipper
Summary: Venom isn't familiar with the concept of birthdays.





	And Many More

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stravaganza](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stravaganza/gifts).



> I kind of wrote this in a rush, but it's a present for the lovely stravaganza, so I sincerely hope you like it. Hope it's what you wanted.

**_Eddie. Edddddie._ **

“Hmm?” In all honesty, Eddie was only half paying attention to the symbiote. He had his laptop open in front of him, digging through his emails, sorting out the potential jobs from the busts. It’d been nearly a year since the Carlton Drake case had finally closed on a positive note, re-solidifying Eddie’s place in the world of respected journalists. On the plus side, it meant a lot of jobs, which meant a lot of money, or at least enough to keep one very hungry alien and his loving human host well-fed. Unfortunately, it also meant a lot of time sorting through his email.

Venom manifested over his shoulder, nudging into Eddie like a cat. Eddie reached out absentmindedly, stroking his hand along the smooth tendrils connecting him to his symbiote. “Did you need something, babe?” he asked. “I’m kinda trying to work.”

He could feel Venom’s pout without looking to confirm – not that Venom pouting looked much like pouting at all. Too many teeth. **_Never mind. Stupid._**

“Hey,” Eddie objected. He frowned over at Venom, turning away from the computer. “Do we need to have the talk again?”

It had surprised Eddie, after getting Venom back, how much more hesitant the symbiote had become as he’d adjusted to human life. Not to say he wasn’t a cocky little shit – he absolutely was – but sometimes Eddie felt a nervousness trembling across their bond, a self-deprecation he knew only too well. He hated knowing that Venom felt it too.

**_No._ **

“Babe…”

**_What is ‘birthday,’ Eddie?_ **

Eddie blinked. “Birthday?”

**_You got an email from Anne. I saw when you were looking at work things. It said ‘happy birthday.’ What is birthday?_ **

Instinctively, Eddie’s eyes flicked over to the computer, where sure enough, on the sidebar, there was an email from Anne with ‘Happy Birthday’ as the subject line. It was a little early, but maybe she wanted to make plans now that they were sort of on good terms again.

“You don’t know what a birthday is?” he asked. The hurt backlash was instantaneous, and Eddie sighed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just a human thing. It’s not really important.”

He felt Venom poking around, rifling through the accessible memories and pouting, trying to work it out for himself. **_There is ritual feasting. We like that. And fire. Don’t like that. And…_** Venom dug into a memory of Eddie’s fifth birthday, when he’d gotten a Captain America action figure. **_Sacrificial offerings?_**

“Sorta, actually.” Eddie contemplated how best to explain it. At least this was an easy one. Venom had asked a _lot_ of questions about various aspects of human life at the beginning of their relationship, some more embarrassing than others. “So, a birthday is just a marker of time. It means it’s been another year since you were born. It’s almost my birthday, which means it’s been almost…” He mentally counted and cringed, “Jesus, forty-one years since I was born. Christ, I’m getting old.”

**_Eddie is not old. Eddie is prime specimen._ **

Eddie snorted. “Thanks, love.” He had no idea where Venom had picked up that phrase. He hoped it was television and not some creepy symbiote thing. He’d gotten used to ‘host,’ but ‘specimen’ was a little more…scientists doing experiments on them.

Venom shuddered with him at the thought, and Eddie cradled Venom a little closer as the symbiote wound tighter around him instinctually. “Not gonna happen, love,” he murmured.

It soothed Venom, and he settled again, then returned with another question. **_If it marks time, why is there fire and feasting?_**

“It’s called a birthday party. People like to celebrate living another year.”

**_Admirable,_** Venom agreed. Then he queried, **_Is Eddie going to celebrate his birthday this year?_**

“I don’t usually.”

**_Yes, you do!_** Venom jabbed at the memories as if in proof.

Eddie shrugged. “When I’m with other people, yeah.” He sent Venom the memory of last year’s birthday, a few weeks before they’d met for the first time. He’d been a wreck, definitely, the loser Venom had once jeeringly and now endearingly called him. His birthday hadn’t been important.

**_Hmm._** Venom considered the memory. Then he asked tentatively, **_Are we…other people, Eddie?_**

“No, baby, you’re not.”

The hurt came back, but Eddie pushed a wave of love back across the bond. “You’re not other people, love, because we’re us. It’s different, and it’s better than other people. Alright?”

**_Oh._ **

“Yeah.” Eddie dropped a kiss on roughly the top of Venom’s head. “Did you want to celebrate, babe?”

**_We like the idea of celebrating Eddie. We love Eddie._ **

“I love you too.” Eddie smiled. “What about you? Do you have a birthday?”

There was a pause, and then the mental equivalent of a shrug. **_We were not born the same way. And then we were reborn as Venom._** He had explained that to Eddie once, the idea that technically, he was not Venom without his host. It was a little confusing, but Eddie had gotten it well enough. **_So I do not think so. Not really._**

“Hmm.”

**_What?_ **

“Nothing, love.”

Venom narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but Eddie distracted him with a kiss, and Venom purred and melted into it. Eddie pushed the laptop away, and they didn’t get any more work done that night.

***

“I’ve got a surprise for you, babe.”

Venom roused from where he’d been curled inside Eddie’s chest, not physically lifting away from his skin but still squirming into life when Eddie addressed him. **_Surprise?_** His voice was tinged with excitement. He’d been disappointed when Eddie’s birthday had come and gone and all Eddie did was provide a chocolate cupcake for each of them, but Eddie had something better planned, and he’d asked Venom to go into his ‘low-power’ mode for a little while, promising Venom that it would be worth it when he woke up again. Venom had metaphorically closed his eyes and agreed.

Now he opened them again, and Eddie felt the burst of surprise and happiness as Venom manifested physically and licked Eddie’s cheek. **_For me?_**

“Well, sort of.” Eddie grinned. The cake was not his finest work, but he was pretty sure it was edible, and it was chocolate with chocolate frosting, so he doubted his darling would complain. In shaky lettering on top, he’d managed to scrawl ‘Happy Birthday Venom,’ and he’d stuck in a pair of unlit candles around the words. “You said that Venom wasn’t really just you, right? It’s us. Together. And today is the anniversary of when we first met, remember? When I went into the lab and you chose me.” Venom purred at the memory, and Eddie wrapped his arm around his stomach in an approximation of a hug. “So today is our birthday. Did I get that right?”

**_Just right, Eddie._ **

“Good.” Eddie’s smile widened as Venom draped himself properly around Eddie’s shoulders, rubbing his cheek against the symbiote. “We are Venom. Happy birthday, us.”

**_Happy birthday, us,_** Venom echoed.

“Now, I didn’t light the candles, but they are tradition. You good if I light them so we can blow them out?”

**_Yes. I am good._ **

Eddie lit the candles, humming Happy Birthday under his breath as he did so. He shook out the match and then said, “Alright, babe. You ready?”

**_Yes._ **

“Make a wish.”

As Eddie blew out his candle and Venom blew out his, Eddie could feel across the bond that they were both wishing for the same thing. Another year of this togetherness. As many as they could get.

“Happy birthday, love,” he murmured softly.

**_Happy birthday, darling Eddie._ **

“And many more.”

Venom echoed the sentiment, not in words but in feeling, and Eddie kissed the corner of his mouth. “Okay. Cake time.”

Venom instantly perked up. **_We get a whole cake?_**

Eddie hesitated. He hadn’t intended for them to eat it all at once, but then, this was Venom they were talking about it. “Maybe not the whole thing, but-“

**_CAKE, EDDIE._ **

“Alright,” he laughed. He didn’t bother getting plates, feeding Venom with his fingers. Venom did the same, passing bites of cake past Eddie’s lips with a probing tentacle, occasionally returning Eddie’s gentle nibbling.

As the cake disappeared, Eddie grinned lazily and told Venom, “You know, there’s another birthday tradition, if you’re interested. Not everyone does it, of course, but…” Eddie passed him over the memory of his last birthday with Anne, the ropes she’d gotten him and that they’d tried out that night, and Venom instantly abandoned the last pieces of cake in favor of dragging a laughing Eddie to the bedroom.

When they curled up that night, happy and sated and with Venom draped over Eddie like a blanket, Venom murmured, **_Eddie?_**

“Yes, love?”

**_We like birthdays_ ** **.**

“Yeah, we do.”

**_Technically, we have another birthday._** There was a faux-innocence to the symbiotes voice that made Eddie chuckle. **_We do, Eddie_.**

“Mmm, I’m gonna go ahead and say that doesn’t count as a birthday, darling.” At Venom’s pout, he added, “An anniversary, maybe.”

**_Anniversary?_ **

“Yeah. Let’s call it our anniversary.” Eddie stroked a hand over Venom, who rippled gently back in response.

**_Can we celebrate our anniversary too, Eddie?_ **

“Of course, love. Now go to sleep.”

**_Yes, Eddie._** Venom settled, receding slightly from Eddie’s consciousness. **_Goodnight, Eddie. Happy birthday._**

“Goodnight, love. Happy birthday.”


End file.
